Printing devices supporting printing over air or printing over a wireless network

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having recorded therein software or firmware for an output controller associated with a printer to manage wireless printing of digital content at the printer, the output controller including:

• at least one processor;
• memory storing at least an output device profile that includes at least device attributes related to the output controller or to the printer;
• and
• one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets for wireless communication, the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets being compatible, at least partly, with at least one protocol within IEEE 802.11 wireless standards for establishing a wireless local area network connection;
• wherein execution of at least part of the software or the firmware by the at least one processor causes the output controller to:
• wirelessly connect, using the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets of the output controller, to a wireless local area network;
• establish wireless communication, using the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets of the output controller and over the wirelessly connected wireless local area network, with an information apparatus that is in the wireless local area network, the information apparatus being a distinct device from the output controller and from the printer, and the wireless communication being compatible, at least partly, with at least one protocol within IEEE 802.11 wireless standards;
• wirelessly transmit, using the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets of the output controller and over the established wireless communication, at least part of the output device profile, that is stored in the memory of the output controller, from the output controller to the information apparatus that is in the wireless local area network, the output device profile includes one or more of identification information, brand information, model information, language information, format information, duplex printing information, color space information, bit depth information, or resolution information, individually or in any combination, corresponding to the output controller or to the printer;
• wirelessly receive, using the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets of the output controller and over the established wireless communication, print data from the information apparatus that is in the wireless local area network, and wherein the print data, which is wirelessly received from the information apparatus, is based, at least in part, on information included in the output device profile wirelessly transmitted from the output controller to the information apparatus;
• and
• provide, by the output controller, a printing service to the information apparatus without a need for the information apparatus to use a printer driver that is device specific to the printer for printing at the printer.

A printing device to wirelessly provide printing services, the printing device including:

• at least a wireless communication unit that includes one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets, the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets are compatible, at least in part, with at least part of a protocol within IEEE 802.11 wireless standards for wireless communication;
• memory or storage storing device information related to the printing device;
• one or more processors;
• and
• software or firmware stored in the memory or the storage;
• wherein, execution of the software or the firmware by the one or more processors performs a printing method, comprising:
• (1) initiating a wireless discovery process, using the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets of the printing device, to facilitate a client of the printing device to wirelessly discover the printing device for a service, the client being a client device or a client application executing at the client device, and the client device being a distinct and separate device from the printing device;
• (2) establishing wireless communication, using the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets of the printing device, between the printing device and the client that has wirelessly discovered the printing device in (1), the wireless communication being compatible, at least partly, with at least one protocol within IEEE 802.11 wireless standards;
• (3) wirelessly transmitting, using the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets of the printing device and over the wireless communication established in (2), the device information from the printing device to the client, and the device information includes one or more of a duplex printing, a color printing, a bit depth, a resolution, or an output page size, individually or in any combination related to the printing device;
• and
• (4) wirelessly receiving, at the printing device and using the one or more wireless communication chips or chipsets of the printing device, print data from the client for printing at the printing device, and wherein the print data wirelessly received from the client is in accordance, at least in part, with the device information wirelessly transmitted from the printing device to the client in (3);
• and
• wherein the printing device provides the printing services to the client without a need for the client to use a printer driver that is specific to the printing device for printing at the printing device;
• and
• wherein the print data, which is wirelessly received by the printing device from the client in (4), includes device dependent output data that is specific for printing at the printing device.